Hopper construction



Oct. 29, 1929. F. B. ALLEN 1 ,733,572

HOPPER CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 7, 1924 fir INVENTOR \57 w AT ORNEYmatted a. 2a, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicsn. ALLEN, or Lownn, immoNTOWNSHIP, moN'roomanY, COUNTY, rnN sYL- VANIA, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, ro 'rnn ALLnN-snnamA aorr courm, or rnmnnnrnm,PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or rnN sYLvnNn norrna coNszrnucnoNfApplication and august 7, 1924. Serial No. 730,611.

This invention relates to hopper construe tion and particularly to agatefor a hopper hai'ingsa bottom discharge opening.

ing applications, Serial Nos. 571,404, filed July 28, 1922,,and 683,792, filed December 31,

1923 now Patent No. 1,547,284, issued July 28, 1925. In the drawingsaccompanying and formin a part of this specification.

igure 1 is a vertical section taken along the line 1-1 of Fig.2 of ahopper havin abottom discharge opening an provide with a gate embodyingcertain features of my present invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section %f the door and frame takenon line 2-2 of i 1. 2o iig. 3 is a top plan view of the door andstationary trough taken upon the line 33 -0fFig.1'. 1

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3, and VFigures 5 and 6 are, respectively, sectional views taken on lines 5-5and 6-.6 of Fig. 2 on a reduced scale.

, Referring to the drawings, in which I have illustrated one form ofgate, 1 designates as so an entirety a'fragmentary portion of a hopperprovided with a bottom discharge opening and equipped with a gateconsisting of a frame 26 and a door27 connected to the hopper andadapted. to control the discharge 85 of h uid and solid material throu hthe hopper. ischar e openin The fraiieas consists of a phate 28 sustantially ectangular in plan viewto correspond with the shape of thehopper and provided with a cntral opening coinciding withthe dischargeqpen mg of the ho per. From the inner edges of the plate.28 providedepending flanges 29 of substantially the same de' th. The frame 26 maybe connected to the opper by various means but in this instance it isconnected thereto by being secured. to side members 30,

and cross members '31 which are connected to theside members 30.

Door 27 consists of a body portion 32 and 59 flanges and associated bodyparts now to be I v a o-relates to certain improvements or the gatestructures disclosed in my copendbeing observed from Fig. 1 that theseflang to cooperate with the frame 26, in this instance by engagementwith flanges 36 on or connected to the side members 30. A rear endliquid intercepting flange 37 preferably formed integral with the bodyportion 32 of the door extends upwardly/well above the top of the bodyportion and has a top sur-.

face which is inclined rearwardly and upwardly to sucha level above thebody ortion as will prevent passage of liquid rom the bod of the oor 27I provide an open topped, straight, liquid carrying trough 38 prefer,-

ably disposed in t 1 e horizontal plane of the door and each pro idedwith a rear end wall' 39 having a rearwa rdly and upwardly in} clinedtop surface, the walls 39, as'herein illustrated, being integral withflange 37; These troughs 38 are located outwardly'of the dependmgflanges29 on the frame 26, it

cs 29 are in substantial alignment vertica 1y with the upstandingflanges 40 constituting a part of thebod portion 32 of the door 27 For apurpose w ich will presently appear,

the outer walls 41' of the troughs 38 extend an above the top of thebottom portion 32 of the door and above the bottom of the adjacentdepending flanges 29 on the frame 26. At the front end of the door isprovided aforwardly projecting horizontal liquiddischar e'flange I 42adapted to discharge liquid there rom into a suitable stationary trough43.

When the gate is in operation, solid material is retained in the hopperby the dodr 27 'when itis in closed position with; respect on to thebottom opening of the hopper but liquid may pass freely through thehopper opening and be collected and discharged by the door into adrainage. system. The liquid intercepting flange 37 extending along the95 rear end of the door 27 being sufliciently high to prevent escape ofliquid thereover, intercepts liquid flowing to that end of the door anddirects it into the troughs 38 ,or back toward the front e'nd of thedoor. Means are portion'thereoven- On each side 65 end walls 39 of thetroughs 38 and may gradually diminish in height toward the front end ofthe door as shown. Water flowing toward the troughs 38 willbe-intercepted by the arrangement of overlapping walls comprisingdepending flanges 29 on the frame 7 and the outer walls 41 of thetroughs 38 on the door and diverted into troughs 38 where it will becollected and conducted to the forinto the stationary trough 43.

It will be observed that the door illustrated is. provided with a fluiddirecting flange along the rear end of the door to turn all liquidtherefrom toward the side or stationary troughs. This flange as well asthe inclined rear end wall of the side troughs has a rearwardly andupwardly inclined top surface over which ashes or solid material may beforced by depending parts when the door is moved into closed position.It will be understood that the normal'cleara-nce between the door anddepending frame parts, such ,as flange 29, is always 'filled with ashes,some of which may be scraped toward the rear of the door as it closes.Unless some means is provided, such as the inclination of the topsurface of the flange 39, these ashes would tend eventually to pack inthe space between flanges 37 and 29 and prevent com-, plete closing ofthe door. j

It has been found that the rear end trough of doors of this general typetended to become filled with ashes scraped from the top of the .door bythe depending rear end flange of the frame and that it was diflicult toremove such accumulations of ashes from the trough manually and nearlyimpossible to do so mechanically. By my present 'construction, however,I completely avoid the [previous difliculties and provide a door embodyin the desirable features as set forth hereina ove.

Solid material, such as ashes, accumulatward end of the door and theredischarged 7 ing in the side troughs may be removed by any suitablepositive fluid, mechanical or" manual means as desired. Little or noatten- Having thus described my invention so that those skilled in theart may practice the same, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent isdefined in what is claimed.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. In combination with a hopper having a bottom discharge opening, aframe surrounding the opening and connected to the hopper and providedwith depending flanges adjacent to the inner edges thereof, and amovable door cooperating when in closed position with the frame toprevent the discharge of solid material through the opening whileproviding for the free escape of liquid thereth-rough, the door having aflange across its rear end inclined rearwardly and extending well abovethe top of the body portion of the door, anda trough on each side of thedoorlocated approximately in the horizontal plane of the door-andextending from adjacent to the rear end of the door to the front endthereof, the said troughs cooperatingwith the said flange to receiveliquid intercepted by the flange, and a trough adjacent to the front endof the door adapted to re ceive liquid from the door.

2. A'door for a hopper having a bottom opening comprising a bodyportion, a rearwardly inclined liquid intercepting flange extendingupwardly well above the body portion from adjacent to the topof the bodyportion and a liquid collecting and conducting trough extendinglengthwise of the door at each side thereof and adapted to receiveliquid intercepted by the said flange, the rear 100 end Wall of eachsaid side trough being inclined rearwardly and upwardly to a heightsubstantially equal to said flange.

3. A door for a hopper having a bottom opening comprising a bodyportion, a rear- 105 wardly inclined liquid intercepting flangeextendingupwardly well above the body portion from adjacent to the top of thebody portion, troughs extending along the sides of the door and adaptedto collect liquid from 11 the top of said door, liquid intercepting anddirecting flanges extending forwardly from the rear flange to points infront of the rear ends of the said troughs to direct liquid into thetroughs, the rear ends of the said troughs 115 being inclined upwardlyand rearwardly.

4. A door for a hopper having a bottom opening comprising a body portiona rearwardly inclined flange extending upwardly well above thebody'portion from adjacent to the top of the body portion, open toppedmechanically cleanable liquid collecting and conducting side troughsadapted to receive liquid from the top of the said door andcon 125 ductit to the front end of'the door, and liquid intercepting and directingside flanges extending forwardly from the ends of the rear flange to apoint in front of the rear ends of the side troughs, the rear end wallof 130 each said side trough being inclined rearwardly and upwardly.

5. A gate for a hopper having a bottom opening comprising a framesurrounding the opening and having flanges depending therefrom adjacentto the several sides of the said opening; and a door cooperating withthe frame and having a body portion, a liquid intercepting end flange atthe rear end of the door extending well above the top of the bodyportion and having an upwardly and outwardly inclined top surface, opentopped liquid collecting and conducting side troughs on opposite sidesof the door disposed outside the adjacent depending flanges of the frameand having upwardly and outwardly inclined rear end walls adjacent tothe said end flange, means on the door for intercepting liquid passingthrough the hopper discharge opening and directing it into the saidtroughs, a horizontal forwardly extending liquid discharge flange at thefront end of the door and a stationary liquid receiving trough adaptedto receive liquid from the troughs and horizontal flange.

6. A door for a hopEer having a bottom opening comprising a ody portion,a rear end liquid intercepting flange extending well above the top ofthe said body portion and having a rearwardly inclined top surface, opentopped troughs on opposite sides of the door, the rear end wall of eachtrough having a rearwardly and upwardly inclined top surface, and ahorizontal forwardly extending liquid discharging flange at the frontend of the door.

7. A door for a hopper having a bottom opening comprising a bodyportion, a rear end liquid intercepting flange extending well above thetop of the said body portion and having a rearwardly inclined topsurface, open topped troughs on opposite sides of the door, the rearendwall of each trough merging into and being integral with the said rearend flange and having a rearwardly and upwardly inclined top surface,and a horizontal forwardly extending liquid discharging flange at thefront end of the door.

.In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature this twenty-eighthday of July,

FRANK B. ALLEN.

